As Jesus entered Jerusalem, he was greeted by people waving palms and praising him, saying, “Hosanna! Hosanna!” This story makes palms very special to the church, but palms in Jesus’ time were kind of like what grass is in our own time: ordinary, easy to find. What made the palms special is they were part of the people’s worship of the Messiah. The same is true for us.
On Palm Sunday, we won’t be able to process around our churchyard, as is our custom. Instead, you are invited to collect some sign of life, hope, growth, or renewal from your home or neighborhood this week: a flower blossom; a small branch from a tree with plenty to spare; a leaf or sprig or frond from a houseplant. You can download this image and print it. Or pull up an image of a palm on your phone to wave.
These will be what we raise for a blessing and to celebrate the triumph of life in Christ and our ever-present hope of his return.
Our Service of Holy Eucharist will continue on Facebook Live. If you’d like to watch the Liturgy of the Palms without participating on camera in Zoom, simply go to our Facebook page and watch this part of the service through Facebook Live, too.
After the service, place whatever sign of life you used in the Palm processional in your window or on your door – continue to share the blessing and good news of Christ to all who see it.
